


You, Me, and the Barista

by Hino



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Cafe shop thing, M/M, look it's just fluff okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 16:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13792056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hino/pseuds/Hino
Summary: On a cold winter's day, Matt is in a cafe.So is Jon.





	You, Me, and the Barista

The cafe was quiet, with only the soft hiss of the barista making drinks to fill the air. Outside, the start of a snowstorm began to blow. It was certainly going to keep people inside. 

Matt sighed, sinking into the loveseat as the snow showed no signs of stopping. He’d come out earlier for a nice coffee and a moment to himself but now found himself waiting in annoyance for the weather to let up. There was some good side to it, seeing as the wifi was still up, and there wasn’t anyone there besides him and Patryk the barista. The man was quiet, but nice enough, and always made sure Matt’s drink was extra sweet.

The sharp jingle of the store’s door made Matt jump, quickly looking to see someone struggling to close the door against the wind. It took a few tries, with their feet slipping on the rapidly melting snow, but soon they managed to finish the job. Trying not to be too obvious, Matt pulled out his phone, glancing between the screen and the newcomer, trying to figure out who they were.

They wore a blue beanie, with a frilly pompom on top that seemed to have a fair few snowflakes caught on it. A dark blue scarf covered their mouth, and an even darker blue jacket which seemed to dwarf them. Their hands were barely sticking out, and it seemed to go to their knees. It didn’t cover their light brown pants, obviously picked before the weather went south.

“I'll have a flat white,” they said, approaching the counter, pulling their scarf off their mouth so they could be heard. Their beanie was removed, and Matt lowered his phone. He recognized the newcomer, but from where? Why was he so familiar? In his confused daze, he failed to notice that Patryk had finished the drink and the familiar stranger had paid. It was only at the call of his name that Matt snapped to attention, looking up to see the man standing before him. “Matt Hargrave?”

He nodded dumbly, still trying to place the stranger. It seemed like they noticed, softly laughing and taking a seat opposite Matt. “It’s me, Jon. Jon Foldpond. Your neighbour.”

It processed slowly, but Jon was patient, watching as Matt’s face went from confused, to understanding, then to excitement. “Jon! Hello!” He put his phone away and leant forward. “What’re you doing here? It’s so snowy.”

Jon looked down at his drink. “I had some problems at home, so I thought I’d take a walk. I didn't expect the weather to turn so badly though!” The somber look on his face vanished, masked with a smile as he sipped his coffee. “What about you? Why’re you bunked down here?”

Matt took a sip from the coffee cup that had been balancing on the arm of his chair. “Tom told me to do something and I didn’t understand so he yelled at me for ten minutes. Plus, the wifi was down,” he added as a last thought. The first half of his statement made Jon flinch, frowning deeply. “Apparently it was important but I just didn’t get it.”

“I understand entirely,” Jon answered with a sigh. “Eduardo gets mad even if I ask for him to repeat what he said.”

“Everyone has trouble understanding sometimes,” Matt replied. 

 

It faded into silence after that, with some awkwardly loud sips and a few stray glances, not sure exactly where to go from there. Patryk seemed to notice the silence, leaning over to turn the radio on. Soft classical music began to drift through the cafe, and Matt brightened at it. “I like this piece.”

“You do?” Jon was off-guard, looking at Matt with a raised eyebrow. The ginger only laughed, noticing the look. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!” Embarrassment washed over the man as he looked away, finding a great deal of interest in the froth of his coffee.

Matt reached out to tap Jon on the shoulder, making him jump. He slid over and patted the empty cushion beside him, asking the other man to join him. “My Great-Grandpa used to play piano,” the ginger said, smiling as Jon came to sit next to him. 

The cushions dipped as he sat, making him lean against Matt, shoulders touching. “Sorry!” Jon scrambled to move over, but Matt only looped an arm around him and pulled him close with a laugh. The coffee threatened to spill over the edge and into his lap, but Jon managed to keep it safe. Now that the awkward moment was over, Jon let himself think about what Matt said. “Your Grandpa was a pianist? Mine wasn’t that cool. Mum says he was a criminal who tried to kidnap someone famous.”

“Wow!” Matt was honestly surprised about it, setting down his coffee and turning to face Jon. “What did he do?”

Jon struggled to remember. “He was a cowboy, I think.”

“A cowboy? Aw, that’s cool!” Matt was grinning and it was infectious, Jon soon finding himself sharing the expression. “I’m not sure how true it was, since Great-Grandpa never told me the truth, but apparently he was royalty.”

That made Jon raise an eyebrow. “Does that make you a prince of some sort?”

Matt shrugged, and Jon was secretly grateful that Matt had set his coffee down on the table beforehand. “I’m not sure, although nobody would believe me if I told them.” He reached for his cup and took a sip, cradling it with both hands and sinking into the couch. “I’m nothing more than some pretty idiot.”

 

There was silence, as Jon looked down into his coffee. The classical music was still playing, but it did nothing to soothe the tension. Even Patryk had caught sign of it, looking over at the two with concern and curiosity. Biting his lip, Jon looked up at the barista, meeting his gaze. He shrugged, looking between Patryk and Matt.

“Talk to him,” Patryk mouthed back, cleaning a mug idly as he waited to see how the events unfold. Jon looked back to Matt, who had pulled out his phone and started scrolling through twitter in search of some comments on his selfies.

“Well... I wouldn’t say you’re an idiot.”

The words made Matt stop, and he looked up past his phone to see Jon blushing. “I don’t think you’re an idiot,” he continued, tracing a finger around the rim of his cup. “I think that maybe you zone out, or sometimes you don’t understand instructions, or things just don’t click for you, but I don’t think you’re stupid or an idiot or anything.”

“That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard someone say.” It was quiet, but Matt spoke sincerely, smiling at Jon. He set aside his now empty cup and launched himself at Jon, who only just managed to set aside his coffee before Matt slammed into him. He was strong, squeezing Jon with a strength that knocked all the air out of his lungs. “You know, I think you’re pretty smart. I mean, look at you.” Matt drew back, looking at Jon and letting the man get some well-needed breaths. “You look smart!”

At this moment, Jon was wearing thick snow clothes that did not suit him, or make him look smart at all, but it did not stop the effect of Matt’s words. Jon grinned, and hugged Matt tightly. “You know, I’m always willing to explain something to you. I mean, if Tom isn’t being helpful about it.” He drew back and pulled out his phone. “This is my number. You can text me what he’s said, or anything else. I mean...” Jon trailed off, trying not to blush at Patryk snickered behind the counter, obviously picking up on the subtext.

Jon almost considered retracting his comment about Matt not being an idiot as he inputted the number without any kind of doubt. “Here’s mine!” came the enthusiastic response, as he offered his phone. The contact photo was a shirtless selfie, and Jon tried not to let his blush get worse as he inputted the appropriate details. As he put in the last number, the storm outside began to ease up, becoming nothing more than a light dusting of snow.

 

“The snow’s gone!” Matt said, as if it wasn’t obvious. He looked back to Jon, finally noticing the red on his cheeks. “You’re still cold? Here.” Jon tried to protest, but Matt had reached into his coat and drawn out a scarf. He looped it around Jon’s neck twice, making sure it was snug before standing up. “I should get home before Tom starts calling me. He’s worse over the phone. I’ll see you later!”

Matt raised his hand in a wave as he headed towards the doors, stepping out into the cold and hurrying along before the storm came back up. Jon waved back, mind elsewhere. He didn’t notice as Patryk approached, taking Matt’s empty cup. “Do you fancy him?”

“Uh huh,” Jon answered blankly, trying to process everything. Patryk merely laughed, taking Jon’s lukewarm coffee with the full intention of giving him a new one. “Patryk?”

“Yes?” he answered, tipping out Jon’s cup and refilling it. 

“I think I like him.”

 

“At least one of you are smart enough to notice.”


End file.
